Shades of Grey
by BrattyLittleAngel
Summary: Four years ago, Leonard Snart learned two hard lessons. One to always have a backup plan to the backup plan. The other, some sacrifices just aren't worth it. Now, he and Lisa run into a past mistake, and is forced to re-evaluate the path before him.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** So its been awhile since I updated this fic. When I started it I was just finishing my Legal Studies degree and found that my Muse had been mortally damaged by all the legal papers I was required to write. I reread what I had posted and was upset, as well as frustrated. I used to post fanfic under another name for years, and not only did I enjoy writing, but felt as though I had done a pretty good job of it. So, never one to give up, I have rewritten the already posted chapters.

 **Chapter One**

"You killed him." Struggling between being stunned and nauseously disgusted, Barry Allen tore his eyes from the dead body on the ground to the unaffected man leaning against the wall with what could only be described as a bored expression on his face. "Why did you do that?"

"He broke my little sister's heart . . . again." Sneering down at the man in question, Leonard's mouth pinched. "I hope you're not going to get all squeamish, and back out on our little prearrangement."

"You're kidding." Unable to keep his eyes from straying back to the dead body, Barry shallowed hard before running a hand over his head. "Snart, you just killed your Father."

"So, we _are_ doing the squeamish thing." Scratching the side of his head with his gun, Leonard let out a long sigh of frustration. " _Barry_ , I really had hoped we wouldn't have to go that route. It could really hurt our little arrangement."

"Our arrangement?" Barry croaked. "You're a murderer Snart. That man." Pointing, wide eyed at the body on the ground with a shaky hand, Barry stared in disgust. "He raised you."

"And what a _great_ job he did." Leonard nearly purred. Seeing Barry wasn't going to back down and was working himself up into what was most likely be the world's biggest hissy fit, Leonard raised a hand to stop him while heaving weary sigh. "Consider what I just did as delayed self-defense."

Taking a step over his father's corpse, to stand toe to toe with Barry, Leonard contemplated the man in front of him. After everything, the Scarlet twit still believed the world was black and white. He would've laughed, but the last few days had been hell, and all he wanted to do was get the hell out of dodge. "If that doesn't work for you, then perhaps you can close your eyes for just a minute and consider all the atrocious things that miserable lump of flesh was going to have me do. Are you so naïve to believe he was going to stop here? That I'd be forced to do this one last job for him and be on my merry way?"

"But we got the bomb out of Lisa's head." Barry argued. "No one had to die."

"I am going to give you some free advice _Barry_." Drawling out the other male's name, more as a reminder he knew the Flash's real identity, Leonard spun on his heel and made his way back to the abandoned bag. "Weaknesses can be exploited. This game is much easier when you don't have any weaknesses to be used against you. The ole man," Leonard's lips twisted as he nodded down at his father's corpse. "He had my number. Lisa is _one_ of my weaknesses. What can I say? I love my family."

Picking up the bag and slinging it over his shoulder, Leonard headed to the end of the hallway, but was intercepted by Barry. "I can't let that happen Snart. We had a deal. You didn't kill, not anymore."

"How I see it, our arrangement is still intact. That piece of trash was unfinished business, and I keep mum on your identity."

"You have to pay for what you did."

A flash of anger moved across Leonard's face, forcing him to take several deep breaths before he was safe to speak. "I have. More than you'll ever know."

"That's not what I meant."

Heaving a sigh, Leonard shrugged. "The only place I'm going to is my underground lair."

"What?" Blinking, Barry frowned. "You have a lair?"

"No _Barry_." With a long-suffering sigh, Leonard shook his head. "I don't have a lair. Lairs tend to be permanent, I'm not much of a long-term kind of guy. Shocking I know. Basically, it boils down to this. I learned the hard way to have a backup plan in place. From the second you stepped into this building your pretty mug has been recorded. . . all-of-it."

"The surveillance was disabled." The second the last word slipped from Barry's lips he paled slightly, as he mentally went through his part of the con.

"Ah, yes, there it is. I see reality is setting in right about . . . now. I got one of those techno freaks helping me out, good kid, a little weird but he's loyal. When our valiant CCP eventually arrive, and Barry they will, they'll find either one of two things."

"And what is that?"

"If I get to walk out of here with a stern lecture and slap on the hand, they'll be disappointed to find the feeds were tampered with."

"What's option number two?"

Shaking his head, steel blue eyes narrowed, as Leonard's smirk grew. "Not a good option for you Barry. Number two, it'll show me, my old man and the CCP's beloved CSI tech nerd getting really, really rich."

"You wouldn't." Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, Barry laughed hoarsely. "Of course, you would."

"I would." Leonard brushed past Barry. "Send Lisa my love."

* * *

"Killing your own Dad." Letting out a long whistle, Cisco leaned a hip against his console and eyed the pretty brunette across the room. "I know he's Captain Cold, but dude that's really cold, as in-"

"Please don't say it." Caitlin pleaded.

"As in Cold Hearted." Cisco finished with a huge cheesy grin, that withered when Caitlin gave him a look.

"You just can't keep away from the low handing fruit." Rolling her eyes at her co-worker, Caitlin folded her arms over her chest, while turning her attention to where Lisa was still rubbing at her neck. "I can't imagine what's going through her mind."

"Probably for the best." Dr. Stein muttered under his breath, before taking a seat in the corner.

Tilting her head to the side, Caitlin studied the other woman. "Her brother just killed their father."

"You act like you knew him or something." Lisa sneered, her pretty face lifting to study her audience, her cobalt blue eyes moved slowly from each one to the next. A flare of agitation flashed over her features, as her feelings of gratitude dissolved into smoke. They didn't get it, they never would, because they didn't live through the nightmare she and Lenny had. Apparently fishing a bomb out of her head, wasn't proof enough that Lewis Snart was a rabid beast who needed to be eliminated.

"The fact that you'd think I'd be anything but relieved shows you've never met a real monster. My Father, he was the worst of them, Lenny did the right thing."

"How can you say that?" Caitlin's mouth fell open, as she tried to process the other woman's words.

"Quite easily." Lisa muttered, suddenly reminded as to why she rarely got along well with others. Standing up from the stool she'd been sitting on, smirking when Caitlin took a slight step back, Lisa squared her shoulders and leered at the uptight do-gooders. "Lenny did all of you a favor, one less villain to chase down."

"There were other ways." Cisco countered.

"Like what?" Lisa's cloy tone mocked him, before a brittle smile spread over her lips. "Anger management classes? Probation? How about a decade in Sing Sing? None of that stopped him from putting a bomb inside my head. No matter how many jobs he blackmailed Lenny into doing, no score was going to be enough."

"Your father, he was still human." Caitlin challenged.

"Debatable." Lisa hissed.

"Why are you arguing with her?" Taking off his glasses, Dr. Stein looked around the room as though they were wasting time. "Just like her brother, she's – "

"Trash?" Lisa snorted. "Or perhaps vile, corrupt, evil?"

"I was going to say damaged." Almost looking contrite, Dr. Stein leveled a look over at the younger Snart.

"Oh stop, you're gonna make me blush." Lisa purred.

Moving from Caitlin's side, Cisco took a few cautious steps forward. "Why are you acting like this, like you're – "

"Evil?" Caitlin simpered.

"Not evil." Cisco swung his head toward his teammate and friend, then back to Lisa. "Was it all an act?"

Her face turned blank. "What act?"

"Where you almost acted human." Looking as though he'd been personally betrayed, Cisco's eyes plead with hers.

"Almost human?" The words were slowly spoken, and for a brief second Lisa Snart almost appeared to be hurt. Inside, memories from another time threatened to break out of their cage. She was not going to let her momentary moment of weakness give these people the advantage. "That right there is why you all will eventually lose."

"What are you talking about?" Moving past Cisco, Caitlin looked affronted by Lisa's announcement.

"You people think everything is black or white, right or wrong, good or bad. You've made up these stupid rules -."

Eyes flaring, Cisco moved closer to her. "Stupid rules? Not killing another human isn't a stupid rule. It's the most basic rule there is."

Narrowing her eyes at Cisco, Lisa felt a burning desire to wipe the condensation from his face, preferably with a lot of pain. "Basic rule?" Lisa sneered. "I'm not the monster who turned a large portion of the town's population into megafreaks."

"That was an accident." Cisco stammered.

"Doesn't matter." Lisa crooned. "Do you know how much damage was done that night? How many people died in that blast? How many lost their homes, their jobs, basically almost everything?"

"We didn't intentionally set out to hurt anyone." Caitlin defended.

"The way I see it, you and all the other science geeks did a very bad thing, which you never really paid for. That is how it works right? You hurt someone, do something wrong, you are a very bad person?"

"But unlike you, we're trying to correct what happened."

Clapping slowly, enjoying how easy it was to enrage the uptight princess. "And on behalf of the city, we would all like to thank you, excellent job you're doing. Do you ever wonder, how many lives you ruined that day? Those megafreaks-."

"Humans, Megahumans." Caitlin cut her off.

"Whatever" Lisa snapped. "You stand there and look down your pointy little nose at me, at Lenny, when instead you should take a long look in the mirror. I may be a thief -."

"And a criminal, and a killer." Caitlin snapped.

"I'm also a survivor." Her lip curling back into a sneer, Lisa moved easily in her stiletto boots closer to where the other girl stood trembling. Whether in anger or fear, Lisa couldn't tell, not that she really cared. "Unlike you people, I have the ability to tell who the real monsters are, from those who are like me and Lenny. And until you can, you will lose every single time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Okay, is this is the rewrite of Chapter Two. Most of the content will remain the same, I'm just taking care of some issues that were blocking me from wanting to continue on.

Well before the mad scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs flipped the switch and lit up the night sky in the most spectacular and life changing way, the good moral citizens of Central City were wagging war on the rundown industrial area along the northern waterfront. Claiming the neglected shells only attracted the criminal element, needed to be leveled so they could make room for the future prosperity of the town. Warehouses and factories, which had at one time served a purpose and employed a large portion of the town, had long been abandoned when it became cheaper for corporations to send work overseas.

In basic terms. The so called, law abiding citizens of the Central City suddenly grasped what a nice water view the derelict area possessed. Of course, their epiphany appeared only after local developers gave them a glimpse of how advantageous it would be to buy into one of their overpriced lofts, surrounded by swank storefronts and upscale restaurants who specialized in reptile eggs smothered in dandelion sauce, or whatever else those idiots found trendy. What the dumb little lemmings didn't know, was the developer pushing for the revitalization of the northernmost section of the city, was owned by the same mob family the residents detested.

Leonard had to give it to them, the scam was quiet brilliant. Not only did one of their shell companies own that particular portion of the city, it would've made them a fortune in the sale of the property, but then profit from the brand spanking new shiny development.

As far as he was concerned, one of the best outcomes from the explosion was how easily those chumps were diverted from improvement to blaming S.T.A.R Labs. Which in turn, left his little playground of empty warehouses and large abandoned factories alone. He hadn't lied, he didn't have a lair, he had a cement and steel jungle at his disposal. He had every structure, every beam memorized, just as he had each and every one of his hidey-holes filed away inside his head. Of course, when the situation called for it, there were a few specially chosen locations in Inglewood to lay low when the heat was on. Or when he needed some _me_ time.

Looking down from his perch on top of what had once been a cannery, Leonard cracked open a cold beer and snorted when Mick threw a lit match on a gas soaked pile of lumber in the empty lot below. He wasn't a hundred percent sure he was making the right decision by letting his pyro friend back into the fold. They'd been through a lot, him and Mick, some of it good, while some of it not all that great. Like the last job that had them parting ways.

Letting his left-hand slip into his jacket pocket, Leonard let his thumb and finger rub over the item inside. A tremor of an emotion threatened to emerge. Instead of submitting to the human emotion, he took another long pull from his drink.

"Hope you got him a bag of marshmallows." Appearing out of the shadows, Lisa winked over at her brother and took the lawn chair next to him. "So."

"So." Leonard drawled back, lowering the bottle to rest on his thigh.

"Are we rich, or was that all for nothing?" There was a slight bitterness bleeding through his baby sister's tone, and Leonard raised a brow.

"We're financially blessed - for the time being." Ignoring the unspoken, Leonard took another drink while staring down at the campfire below. It didn't take long before the silence got to Lisa.

"Was it as gratifying as we always imagined?" She tried to act blasé, but the childish lilt in her voice gave her away. She'd always worked hard on showing the world her tough outer shell, and he commended her for it. But she wasn't made of stone, and when it was just them he didn't expect her to pretend.

"No." Leonard sighed, his eyes unblinking at the flames below, before shifting his eyes to inspect Lisa's expression. "What's with the long face sis?"

"I just thought I'd feel . . . " Pausing, trying to find the right words, Lisa lifted her heels to rest on the ledge. "something." Lisa grumbled under her breath.

"Yeah." His voice barely above a whisper, Leonard tossed the empty bottle down, before fishing in the cooler for another. "On the bright side, your head didn't go Ka-boom."

A brittle smile tugged at Lisa's lips, before they twitched just a little. "Suppose I owe you one."

"And with my habit to attract trouble, I predict in the near future, I'll be calling in that marker."

"Attract?" Lisa mocked, halfheartedly. "You mean create."

With a pained expression, Leonard pinched his nose. He knew Lisa, and he knew she was fighting against what was most likely some kind of emotional inner struggle. If he were smart he'd drink another beer and refuse to ask. But like he'd said, Lisa was _one_ of his weaknesses. "So, are we going to sit here all night, or are you going to tell me what else is on your mind?"

"I almost died." Stating the obvious, Lisa still looked a little stunned about it.

"You've almost died a handful of times before tonight." He replied dryly.

Ignoring her older brother, she kept on talking. "It's funny. This time it felt more real."

"I had your back." Feeling annoyed at the vulnerable tone in her voice, Leonard stood from the second-hand lawn chair and moved closer to the edge of the roof.

"I know you did." Lisa reassured him. "But there was a bomb, inside of my head. It made me start thinking about the past, mistakes I've made, people I miss."

A sweat broke out on the back of Leonard's neck, as his hand moved back to his pocket. "Please don't tell me this is the part where you saw the light and plan to turn your back on crime, I may just get sick."

"Don't be stupid." Lisa huffed, with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "I have very expensive tastes."

With a smirk in her direction, Leonard let out a dry chuckle. "Trust me, I know."

"It's weird really. I thought about the day I met Tegan, or actually the day we called a truce on our little war and got to know the real her." Lisa's words were softly spoken and were almost lost in the slight breeze.

"Don't." His tone ice cold, Leonard swallowed the rest of his beer and tossed the bottle off the building, while thinking he might need something a little stronger tonight.

"I couldn't stop thinking about -."

"Then try harder." Shoving both hands into his pockets, his left hand gripped onto the item hidden in there.

"Why won't you talk about her?" Lisa asked petulantly.

"Self-preservation." Leonard huffed.

"It's been four years."

Pushing away from the ledge of the roof, Leonard threw his sister a hard glare before dropping back down in his lawn chair. "I know how many years it's been Lisa."

"Maybe we should see if she's- "

Interrupting his sister, Leonard sent a scowl her way. "Coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys."

Blinking a few times, Lisa's brows pulled as she studied his hardened face. "Are you taking drugs?"

With a frown, Leonard grit his teeth, while he pulled the damned item from his pocket and studied it for just a second. Exhaling loudly, he held the picture out to his sister. "Found this on our bastard of a father."

With hesitation, Lisa studied his stiff features, before plucking the picture from Leonard's hand. Her eyes flared wide, before her mouth moved without sound, before she gulped a deep breath and forced herself to pull it together. "How? I don't understand."

"Personally, I've never been one for coincidence." Cynicism dripped from his tongue. "Daddy dearest was a dead man the second he ordered his goons take you. Having Tegan's picture on him, let's just say it gave me an additional incentive."

"Len, why would he have this?" Fear laced through her tone, as she sat forward slightly.

"Why indeed?"

'I'm being serious." Lisa snapped.

Falling silent for a moment, he took the time to remind himself to leave the past where it belonged. It would be easy to allow emotions to cloud his judgement, he'd learned from his mistakes and did his damnedest not to repeat them. "He knew we'd sooner or later get the device out of your head. He was just setting up his next pawn to be played."

"You can't be sure."

"Lisa, Dad was many things. Genius Mastermind wasn't one of them." Tilting his head back to stare up at the sky, she listened to her shifting, a clear indication of her growing agitating. "Lisa, do you really think I'd do nothing if I thought she was in danger?"

Apparently his tone seemed to sooth her ruffled feathers, and with a last searching look in his direction, she sat back and looked down at the image, and smirked - a lot. "I remember taking this." Studying the petite blonde tucked up against her brother's napping form, she looked back up at him. "You retaliated by stealing my brand-new pair of Jimmy Choo Maloy leather over-the-knee lace up boots."

"You deserved it." Taking the picture back, he quickly shoved it back in his pocket.

"I still think we need to make sure she's okay."

"Lisa, the old man would've rubbed his leverage in my face." Rubbing a hand down his face, Leonard really wished Lisa would just believe him. "We continue to do what we've done for the last four years."

"What? Nothing?"

"It's worked pretty well so far."

"How did he get the picture Lenny? How do you know for sure none of his loser goons don't have instructions to inflict payback?"

"Cause the second the old man's cold corpse hit the ground anyone stupid enough to willingly follow him scampered off like the cockroaches they are." Leonard's face hardened. He had to give it to his father, he sure knew how to mess up his life in the most epic of ways. He bet the bastard was laughing his balls off in hell. "And as to the how, our old man may have been a horrible thief, he was still a thief."

"So we don't do anything?"

"Staying away is for the best, for everyone." Moving toward the exit in the dark shadows, Leonard paused and turned back to where his sister sat. "We have enough _weaknesses_."

"I think you're wrong Lenny."

"I know you do." He nodded. "But I'm older and wiser, and if that doesn't convince you, try remembering what happened the last time."

* * *

There was something about Central City's police station that made Tegan Wentworth's skin crawl. Perhaps it was the stench of hypocrisy, mingled with a hint of corruption, that seemed to cling to her like a second skin. Her hatred for the place was long lived, but it wasn't until the last few years she'd really fostered that feeling.

She wasn't completely jaded, there was still a small, barely there portion in her that knew there was still a good cop or two inside the hallowed halls who really wanted to do some good, to make a difference. It was just a crying shame they were outnumbered by the bad ones.

Like the douche bag who was currently headed her way.

Putting on her best 'I'm-gonna-annoy-the-unholy- shit-out-of-you' smile she could muster, Tegan pushed away from the wall and stepped directly into Officer Dumbasses path. "A minute of your time Officer Petey?"

"Buzz off Wentworth." Brushing past her with a scowl on his face, he tried his hardest to ignore her at his side, while he headed to the stairs with a slightly quickened pace.

"Your words tell me to go, but your tone says otherwise." Not one to be detoured, Tegan dogged the man's longer stride with her shorter legs.

"You're a pain in my ass." Reaching his desk, and turning so he could lean back while crossing his arms over his chest, the officer's jaw twitched when Tegan halted in front of him with a defiant tilt of her chin. "I'm really considering taking a restraining order out on you."

With wide eyes, Tegan placed a hand over her heart and heaved dramatically. "But what about our special bond."

"Jesus Christ woman, what's it gonna take to get you off my balls?"

Making a face, Tegan wrinkled her nose as she fought against the urge to gag. "Not only is that the most disturbing visual I've ever had, but do you kiss your Mom with that mouth?"

"Seriously, how can I get you to scamper off?"

"Well, doing your job would be a good start." Tegan retorted smugly, as she tilted her head to the side and flashed him a brilliant smile.

His lip curling back at her, the officer shook his head. "And here I thought you weren't about following the law."

Feeling the innuendo graze her, Tegan mentally scolded herself for letting some pathetically used words get to her. "What can I say? It's all shades of grey."

"Will you just go away."

"Listen Petey." Planting her hands on her hips, Tegan glowered up at the much taller man. "I could care less about your back-alley dealings with thugs, thieves and drug dealers. Or that little deal you've got with the owner of that hole in the wall strip club, Diamonds. I honestly, Do-Not-Care, unless of course there are children involved."

A look of understanding crossed the officer's face, as he took a quick look around to see who was watching. "You need to drop this issue you've got for Gavin Day."

"And you need to stop letting that piece of crap use his kids as drug mules, and his own personal punching bags." Not bothering to use her indoor voice, Tegan ignored Officer Petey's frantic scan of their surroundings. "Why didn't you submit your report to DHS?"

Clearly cornered, the officer lowered his voice, but his tone didn't lack his fury over being called out. "Can't inform to DHS when there's nothing to report."

"I really wish you wouldn't waste my time like this." Tegan groaned as she hefted her large purse from her shoulder and dropped it on the officer's desk with a resounding thud, earning them a few stares.

"What are you doing?" He growled nervously as she started to fish out an eight by ten envelope.

"Gavin Day is a nasty piece of work. He's responsible for supplying mediocre, basement made pharmaceuticals to Central City. Worse, he uses his kids to run drugs for him, guess it cuts down on the overhead." Narrowing her eyes in his direction, she felt good when he started to squirm. "To make matters even worse, the bastard has been beating his kids too. You know it, I know it, the entire town knows it."

"If I went by town gossip, you'd be the one behind bars."

"Lucky for me, you suck as a cop." The bright light dimmed slightly in her eyes. He wasn't entirely wrong. But unlike the masses, she didn't hide behind a false sense of morality. She wasn't entirely good, she wasn't entirely bad, she was just Tegan, someone who had her own code of ethics, thank you very much. Giving herself a quick mental pep talk, Tegan tapped the envelope against her chin. She was here for two kids who desperately needed someone on their side. "So, let's pretend you knew how to do your job, you know the one you are paid by the taxpayers to perform?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Opening the envelope, she plucked the first photo out. "The lighting in this one doesn't really compliment your complexion, but if you focus on your hands I think you'll see you're knocking back a cold brewski, with Gavin Day. Now I'm not really up on all the laws, protocols, and policies but something tells me drinking when on the job is naughty."

Snatching the picture from her hand, the officer took a step closer. "This doesn't prove anything. It could've been taken on my night off."

"Ah yeah." Rolling her eyes, she took another one out. "Time stamp could've been modified, and all that other technical junk I have zero patience for. And I'm sure you typically slum it in full uniform." Pulling out another picture, she tossed it down on his desk. "Here, maybe this one will help jog your memory. If you look to the right, you can see Gavin's son Trent, with quiet a shiner."

"He could've gotten that anywhere."

"And the bloody nose?" Any trace of charm melted off the tiny blonde's face as she dropped the picture to the ground. In slow motion, she pulled one picture after another out. Showing him each one before tossing it to the side. "I honestly don't care if you're on the take with some extremely questionable individuals. You and I? We're consenting adults, capable of making our own decisions. You want to take bribes and turn a blind eye, whatever. Between you and me, cops make shit money. But these kids, and any kids you find who are hurt and neglected? Well they don't have a choice."

Crouching down, the officer quickly swiped the pictures into a pile before picking them up and shoving them into one of his drawers. "You freaking Wentworth's think you're so much better than everybody else."

"Seriously? Do you honestly think I haven't heard that before?" Picking her purse up off the desk, she replaced her cheeky grin. "We both know the pictures I took are worth buckus in the court of law. But they will put your ass into hot water with internal affairs. Or maybe Iris West will find something interesting in the copies I have."

"I'll get you for this." His face turning a botchy red, as a vein throbbed unattractively on the side of his temple.

"Probably." Seeing the angry promise in his eyes, Tegan decided it was the only win she was going to get that night. "This goes away if I get that report on my desk Petey."

"It's Peters." Pinching his lips together, he breathed heavily through his nose.

"I know." With a shrug, Tegan turned at walk away. "I just don't care."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Walking into the S.T.A.R. Lab's cortex, Dr. Stein paused just inside the doorway as a look of exasperation flashed across his face. while he shook his head in exasperation. There were times when he found himself amazed by the intelligence he found within the young people before him, then there were times, such as this, when he questioned how they hadn't been seriously impaired due to their inability to stay on task.

"Dare I ask what you three are up to?" His question startled the three individuals huddled near the computer screens, making them jump in surprise. His ability to startle them give him an odd sense of satisfaction. Shoving his hands into his pocket, he took in the guilty expressions. "I was under the impression we had our hands full tracking down a metahuman who has the ability to turn herself invisible."

"We are." Springing up from her chair, Caitlin wrung her hands together and shifted herself in front of her computer station. "Well were." Licking her lips, she tried hard not to look like a teenager who got caught joyriding. "We're just taking a little break."

"I would assume with the amount of time you three spend within these walls, your breaks would be taken elsewhere." Removing his glasses, he slowly cleaned the lenses before nodding toward the computer screens. "I may not have been blessed by having any children of my own, but I was a professor for many years. I know culpability when I see it."

Barry and Cisco looked over at one another, looking a little uncomfortable, while trying hard to portray innocence. Caitlin on the other hand, was horrible at being covert. It only took a stern look from the older doctor before the younger one cracked. "Lisa got us thinking, and honestly, for us this is a break."

Scooting away from the screen she took her seat again, missing the pained expression on Dr. Stein's face. "I was afraid Miss Snart's absurd speech would ignite your morbid curiousity."

Any trace of guilt quickly evaporated, as a sparkle of anticipation filled Caitlin's eyes. "I wouldn't give that amazon too much credit, but she may have had a point. We basically know nothing about the metahumans we're up against -."

"Or" Cisco interrupted her, casting her a dark scowl, showing they were in a disagreement over something or other. "In some special cases, trying to help."

"She's a whack job Cisco." Caitlin growled.

"At least she didn't steal my pen." Cisco muttered back under his breath.

Looking thoroughly scandalized, Caitlin's dainty hands curled into fists, as she stomped her foot in frustration. "For the last time, I didn't take you stupid Wile E Coyote pen."

"Either way." Barry moved to stand between the two bickering friends, he leaned against the desk to form a barrier. "We should know more about the meta's we're . . . dealing with."

Replacing his glasses, Dr. Stein took a close look at the monitor. "From what I know of Miss Snart, she never received any meta powers."

"Well, no." Caitlin blushed, caught again in a little fib, she licked at her lips and sat up straight. "But it doesn't hurt knowing as much as we can about both Lisa and Leonard Snart, because someone made a stupid promise with one of them."

"I had to." Barry grumbled sullenly.

"Anyways." Cisco cut in, as he spun his chair around to look at Dr. Stein. "There isn't a reason why we shouldn't have a database on the meta's and humans we encounter."

"Don't let him fool you." Caitlin huffed. "He just wanted to know more about his new girlfriend."

Looking over at Barry, Dr. Stein raised a brow. "Do I even want to know?"

"Ah, no." Barry drawled as he rubbed his hands together and turned back to the screen. "To be honest, I kind of like the idea. Having a quickly accessible database of pertinent information we can use. With enough data, we can create profiles to better assist us."

"I feel compelled to be the voice of reason against this." Seeing the younger individuals glassed over eyes, a look he'd seen many times in his past, Dr. Stein sighed and made a wave with his hand. "What have you found?"

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you asked." Cisco stated. "Cause there's so much more to Lisa Snart than we ever thought possible."

With a scowl, Caitlin muttered something under her breath and brought up a screen. "We're talking about creating a template of sort, so as we compile information on individuals, we can start cross referencing and hopefully in the future we can predict certain behavioral patterns."

"And with this information we've gathered on Lisa, and the backup stuff we kept on Snart, we may have a better chance of keeping them on a short leash." Barry added, his eager expression falling slightly as Dr. Stein looked less than impressed. "Anyhow, as we all know, Lisa and Leonard Snart didn't have the best of childhoods." Looking over at Caitlin he gave a short nod as she pulled up another screen.

"After the death of their mother, Lisa bounced from living with her father, the late Lewis Snart, and her Grandfather, when Daddy Snart was serving time for one of his failed criminal activities."

"Which are vast." Cisco clarified.

"Her record was pretty clean until she was fifteen." Barry read off the screen. "When she got caught shoplifting at the Leawood Mall."

A look of smug satisfaction crossed Caitlin's face. "Not exactly the criminal mastermind, maybe she took your stupid pen."

"After that, there were a few more incidents until she got caught on a job with Daddy Snart." Using his body to once again separate the two, Barry clicked the mouse a few times. "The D.A. was pushing to try her as an adult, but her court appointed attorney somehow convinced the judge that perhaps she'd be better served if she were to receive professional help. Seeing how she was just shy of her eighteenth birthday, and with her family's stellar rep, the court sided on a more compassionate stance."

"Worked wonders." Caitlin muttered.

"The judge, who'd preceded over many of Leonard Snart, and Daddy Snart's cases, sent her to the Havenwood Center."

A frown creased Dr. Stein's brow. "The hospital sounds vaguely familiar."

"It was shut down for misconduct, insurance fraud, and a slew of neglect and abuse charges." Cisco murmured as his finger flew over his keyboard. "At its peak, Havenwood was the 'go-to' place for all the elites to hide their unperfect spawn, in hopes of rehabilitating them." Using air quotes, his expression turned sour. "Mostly, the kids who weren't buying into the pompous blue blood lifestyles went there to be reprogramed back into the lemmings Mommy and Daddy could be proud of."

When Cisco went to take a breath, Caitlin cut in. "There were a few legitimate cases of mental health care, but mostly the center was used as a time out to the wealthy. It was a great scheme, except they got greedy, and started getting a kick back from the state, financially as well as creatively as far as taxes went, for taking in 'high risk', low income teens."

"In the beginning they were able to segregate the riffraff from the upper crust. But the court systems started to flood the center, due to over population of the state's detention centers. It took a while, and a successful breakout-slash-kidnapping, for the uppity ups to catch on that their unique little snowflakes were rubbing elbows with the underbelly of society."

"I vaguely remember the escape, but not a kidnapping." A mixture of confusion and intrigue crossed Dr. Stein's face.

Barry suppressed a knowing smirk, it seemed yet another person got sucked into the Snarts' unique past. Nodding to where Caitlin nearly trembled in anticipation, he swallowed a laugh as she pulled up a picture of a pretty blonde. "Because when the kidnapped is one Tegan Eloise Wentworth, well we all know that family has the money and the connections to keep such a scandal from getting out."

"There was a theory shared by a few. Tegan Wentworth wasn't actually a victim, which motivated the family to keep her abduction on the down low." Cisco offered.

"Interesting." Moving closer to view the information on the screen, Dr. Stein moved his gaze from one screen to the next. "Where did you get this information?" Three set of expressions met his question, all gave him an overwhelming sense of unease. "Oh dear lord, I don't want to know, do I?"

With a shake of his head, Barry rubbed the back of his neck. "No. No you do not."

"And how exactly does this information help?"

"It shows, Lisa Snart can make friends." Cisco cut a glare over at Caitlin. "And it also shows indicators that neither of the Snart's are quite the sociopaths some people think they are." His last words were aimed at Caitlin again, showing there was tension between the two when it came to one of the Snarts. "Well maybe one more than the other."

Clearly torn between wanting to walk out the door and forget everything he'd heard so far, and wanting to hear the rest of what the group had found, Dr. Stein fidgeted for a moment before letting out a long sigh of surrender. "Fine, continue."

"From the staff statements, Tegan and Lisa weren't exactly BFFs when they first met, and on several occasions had to be restrained and separated."

This information didn't exactly stun the doctor; he had seen Miss Snart's prickly personality first hand. "Out of curiosity, what was Miss Wentworth in Havenwood for?"

"On the record." Barry leaned over, his finger clicking several times on the mouse. "An anxiety disorder. Off the record, she humiliated her Stepmother epically at the Windsor Heights Country Club winter gala, by slipping photos of her from her Burlesque days, into the predinner slideshow."

"Horrible, but I can't see how that would warrant admission into Havenwood." Dr. Stein muttered.

With a casual shrug of his shoulders, a sly grin tugged at the corner of Cisco's lips. "Of course, being expelled from four of the most prestigious private girl schools in New England didn't exactly help her cause. Though, I gotta say, getting expelled for skinny dipping on campus is one of my personal favorite."

"Oh, she sounds like a darling." Dangling his glass between pinched fingers, Dr. Stein felt the early signs of a headache.

"So after about five months, Snart easily slips past Havenwood's high tech security to liberate Lisa. Was almost off the grounds when suddenly the van turned around and he went back in to abduct Tegan Wentworth."

"Excuse me?" Dr. Stein stuttered. "He had a clean get away?" Three heads nodded. "But he turned around to abduct Miss Wentworth?" More nodding. "Was it for a ransom?"

"Nope." Caitlin only shrugged at Dr. Stein's dumbfounded expression.

"Total radio silence." Cisco brought up a few more screens. "They were in the wind for about nine months, the police had a few close calls but Snart was a few steps ahead. Then out of nowhere Tegan just reappears. Walks right into Keystone's central police station."

"Just like that." Stein's frown deepened.

"Apparently." Barry shrugged.

"And what did she have to say?" Though in the back of his mind he still had no idea how any of this information could help the young people in front of him in the future, he couldn't say it wasn't plain fascinating. "How did she get away?"

"Said she snuck out of a window." Barry stated, his tone implying he didn't buy it.

"A civilian, a teenage civilian at that, snuck away from the Snarts out of a window?"

"That's it. She refused to talk about her time with the Snarts." With a shake of his head, Barry crossed his arms over his chest. "Her parents put her into a different facility and after a year she transitioned seamlessly into Central City University – "

"Where she was abducted again her senior year. Guess who took her?" Cisco rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"The Snarts?" Stein replied dryly.

His face falling, Cisco looked as though Christmas had been canceled that year. "Yeah."

"She was taken from the University's parking lot, and once again there was no word." Barry offered. "Unlike the previous time, she was with the Snarts for over a year, and the CCP had zero leads. The Wentworth's had a team of private investigators out looking for her. But it wasn't until a bank heist gone bad, that she came stumbling out of the building shot."

"Shot?" Blinking, Stein looked around at the others. "Who shot her?"

Shrugging her shoulders Caitlin looked as disgruntled as the doctor felt. "She gave a statement she brought there for leverage if the job went south. Mick Rory -."

"Heat Wave."

"Set fire to the safe deposit room, as well as the bank manager's office." Glaring at her friend and coworker, Caitlin shook her head. "You really can't help yourself, can you?"

"Nope." His lips popping on the P, Cisco shook his head, looking overly proud of himself.

Seeing that he was going to have to pick up his friend's slack, Barry pointed to the screen they had been looking at when Stein interrupted their research. "We all know what the Snarts have been up to since then. Our new friend Tegan though, eventually graduated, and now works as an underpaid agent with child protection services. As far as we can tell, there's been zero interaction between her and either of the Snarts."

"That's it?"

"Basically."

"But with this information we there might be interaction between Tegan and the Snarts in the future. Or, what if she's been working with them the entire time? She would be a great cover, or someone who might take them in." Caitlin spoke quickly as she added information to Lisa and Leonard Snart's files. "I don't buy her story that she was held captive, I believe there was something deeper than that. I think Tegan is probably the closest thing to a friend Lisa Snart ever had."

"There's a slight flaw in your theory Miss Snow." Replacing his eye glasses, Dr. Stein tapped his chin with his finger. "I understand why Leonard Snart would bother with Lisa, she is his little sister after all, and he appears to have a profound sense of family obligation to her. But I can't fathom an individual such as he, allowing another young woman to put his operations at risk, not once but twice."

"Maybe he liked her." Barry laughed as Cisco wiggled his brows. "As in really liked her."

"Please." Caitlin rolled her eyes. "I don't really see Leonard Snart being the romantic kind of guy."

"Thought girls liked the bad boys."

"We do." Caitlin agreed, but quickly clarified. "Bad boys are addictive. Leonard Snart takes bad boy to a new level, and I doubt a girl from Windsor Heights would be able to handle that kind of crazy. Not to mention, I don't see Snart going for the small cute blonde type."

"A rich, hot blonde type." Cisco corrected her, pointing at the picture on the screen.

"And what if you three are wrong? Perhaps Miss Wentworth truly was a victim in all of this." Looking sternly at the small group. He was happy to see he hadn't lost his edge in creating guilt in the younger generation. "She seems to have created a life for herself and would probably appreciate some privacy. I agree to a certain degree that a data base would probably assist in the future, but there should be parameters established to ensure innocents, or third-party civilians rights aren't violated."

Silence greeted him, as his words penetrated their highly intelligent minds.

"Well as informative and slightly entertaining that this was, I believe we're looking into a metahuman with the ability to be invisible." Seeing no new information was coming, Dr. Stein decided it was a great time to make his escape, before he was forced to endure any further inane chatter on missing pens, or romantic entanglements, even if he silently agreed with Miss Snow's assessment.

* * *

"Ms. Wentworth, a word please?" And just like that, Tegan's mediocre morning went down the tubes. She was well aquainted with the shit just hit the fan tone, and after her little visit to the CCP the other night, she'd been waiting for her boss to haul her butt into her office for her once a week tongue lashing.

And her upcoming humiliation would totally be worth it.

Shifting her clear green eyes to where a copy of Officer Petey's file was safely tucked away in her purse, she felt a sense of vindication. A very tiny sense of vindication. There had only been just enough information to allow her monthly visitations into the Day household. Officer Dumbass may have had a huge problem understanding typical police officer protocol, but he wasn't a complete idiot. Or in the very least, he was competent enough to write a report to keep him tight with her, without screwing up whatever he had going with Gavin Day.

Pushing herself away from her desk, Tegan tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, while letting out a deep breath. Mrs. Clarkson was a badass, who on a typical day made at least three of her employees' cry. Man, female, it didn't matter, she was an equal opportunity terrorizer.

Feeling the not so subtle glances from her peers around the office, Tegan nearly wanted to laugh. Where she totally agreed that Clarkson was slightly insane in her definition of constructive criticism, she'd been through worse than just an angry boss, with a questionable communication style.

"Ms. Wentworth take a seat." Passing by her infuriated boss through the office door, Tegan barely restrained the urge to roll her eyes. As soon as the door was firmly closed, Mrs. Clarkson didn't bother waiting until she was seated before unleashing the fury she'd been bottling up. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought I made myself perfectly clear the last time, unless I personally give you permission or your safety is in jeopardy, you were to keep away from the CCP."

"Very clear." Tegan agreed, remembering the unnatural puce color the woman turned.

"I don't remember giving you permission." Making her way around to her side of the desk, Clarkson rested her hands palms down on top of the polished wood. "Were you in some kind of danger the other night that I am not aware of?"

"I can explain-."

"I knew I was making a mistake hiring you." Finally taking a seat, Tegan watched as the woman's rat like face pinched even further. Making her buckteeth and pointy nose even more pronounced.

"I know my past is a little colorful." Colorful was the best way she knew how to define her past in polite company, or basically any company. She had to jump through more than her fair share of hoops to become an agent with the agency, and if it had been up to the other woman – she never would've been hired.

"I didn't want to hire you because of who your family is." Her boss was quick to clarify. "Rich, spoiled and entitled."

"If it helps, I don't like them much either."

"It doesn't." Mrs. Clarkson snapped. "Were you in danger two nights ago?"

"No, but I can explain – "

"And I know I didn't give you permission."

Oh, Tegan was starting to really hate the condescending tone of the woman in front of her, and if she didn't control her irritation, she was going to end up losing more than her temper. "No, but you also didn't write me the parking citation that was due two days ago either."

"Parking citation?"

"Yeah, even rich, spoiled, elitists – oh sorry entitled brats have to pay fines."

Shuffling papers on her desk, Mrs. Clarkson read through what looked like a printed email, before turning her attention back to Tegan. "I was informed that you were there to harass one of CCPs officers."

Now she was unable to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Honestly, that man really was an idiot, and now she was going to have to exert energy she didn't want to, just to shut her boss up. "Let me guess, Officer Petey said I was mean to him."

"Actually, Officer Peterson said you were overly hostile and over reaching your position."

"By paying a ticket." Tegan raised a brow, trying to look bored and unaffected, while plotting on ways she was going to make the officer pay. She'd start out small, until he was paranoid, then she'd heat things up and then would really have some fun. It was too bad, she'd been honest when she said she didn't care what he did, as long as his actions didn't put any children in danger.

"It further states, there are witnesses who saw you arguing with Officer Peterson at his desk."

"We weren't exactly arguing. I just told him I wasn't interested in going out with him." The lie easily slipped off her tongue, and even though the gleam in Clarkson's eyes died just a little, Tegan knew she hadn't won this argument. The only thing she had accomplished was toss a whole lot of doubt onto Officer Petey's story. The next words felt like acid, but if she didn't get out of that cramped office soon, she was going to say something she shouldn't. "Either way, you're right. I should've given you the heads up. You were very – clear about that. I guess I just wasn't thinking."

The fire in the woman's eyes dimmed.

"I should fire you." They both knew she didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell for that, but Tegan knew the woman's next words were easier to follow through on. "Next time you'll be suspended for two weeks." A smile which rivaled that of the Grinch's curled at the woman's mouth. "Unpaid of course."

"Of course." Tegan muttered, as she stood from her chair. "Anything else?"

"Not a thing." Ms. Clarkson smirked. "Oh and Wentworth, I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Yeah, that's not creepy." Tegan muttered under her breath as she left her boss's office, suddenly deciding to call it a day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

"Why such a gloomy Gus?" Sliding into the booth across from his sister, Leonard took in her forlorn expression with a sigh. It'd been a few days since their little heart to heart on the roof, and it seemed he'd been overly optimistic she would be back to her normal self.

"I really don't wanna talk." Dipping a soggy fry into clumpy pool of gravy over and over, Lisa refused to meet his gaze head on.

"We both know that's not possible." Leaning back, he kept his eyes trained on her face. "You've never been able to keep your mouth shut longer than an hour. I should know, I've timed you."

"Will you just go away?" Dropping her fry, Lisa picked up her napkin and wiped her greasy fingers on it before tossing it on top of her plate.

Pinching his lips together, taking a deep breath, he tapped his finger on the vinyl booth a few times, contemplating his next words.

"Seriously Lenny." Pushing her plate back she grabbed her drink and downed it. "I'm in a headspace you'll only mock and ridicule. Not all of us can be cold hearted like you."

It was just like Lisa to attack head on, with claws when she felt pain. He should be used to it by now, but her words still felt like a punch in a gut. "Is this about Pops?"

A look of disgust crossed Lisa's face. "Seriously?"

"You can't still be pouting over Tegan." Seeing her stone-cold expression told him he was treading on thin ice. One misstep and he'd be cleaning up a Lisa sized mess. He knew better than to push her buttons when it came to certain things, and Tegan was a button he'd been avoiding for years.

"Like I said Lenny, not in the mood to talk." Grabbing her purse, she tried to scoot out of her side of the booth, only to have his booted foot block her way out.

"Lisa, let it go." Her eyes flashed back at him in annoyance.

"Lenny, leave _me_ alone." Lisa hissed, as she leaned forward. "She may have meant nothing to you, but she was my best friend, my only friend. So, go do whatever it is you do, and I'll go do what I have to do. When I'm able to pretend not to have emotions again, I'll come find you."

Not removing his foot, Leonard ground his back teeth. Perhaps he'd miscalculated the impact of letting Tegan go would have on Lisa. He'd assumed his little sister would get over it after a little while, and most of the time she was just peachy. But once in a great while, something would trigger her memories, and he'd have to put up with some bitchiness for a few days. This time, it was a little different. Lisa had crawled off to lick her wounds, and that was entirely different game altogether.

The two siblings sat glaring at one another, until Lisa finally lost her patience and knocked his foot out of her way. "It's not just that I miss Tegan. But I miss what you were like when she was around."

"Don't."

"I mean you were still an ass most of the time." Lisa pushed, a sly look of satisfaction crossing her face. "But, when you didn't think anyone was watching, I saw you Lenny, and I know. So don't sit there, acting like you've got your shit pulled together, while your silly pathetic sister pouts over hurt feelings."

"I never said you were pathetic." Leaning forward, Leonard pinned her with a glare. "This repetitive conversation on the other hand . . ."

Closing her eyes, Lisa fidgeted. "I went to check on her." The words flew out of her mouth, as though they had a life of their own. And for the life of him, Leonard could swear he could feel his heart skip a few beats within his chest.

"You did what?" His blood ran cold, as he reached out and grabbed onto her arm.

"Calm down." Wrenching out of his grasp, she rubbed at her arm while glaring daggers his way. "I said I saw her, she didn't see me."

"Do you have any idea the damage you could've done?" He ground out, while forcing himself to not over react by doing something equally as stupid.

"I don't care." Lisa tossed back viscously, her small fists balled tightly on top of the table. "I know what you said, and yes, I know why you want us to stay clear. But after what happened . . . I had to make sure. So, I'm freaking sorry, okay?"

He wanted to tell her he wasn't close to being okay. That she'd taken a gamble and was lucky she hadn't outed herself, or Tegan in the process. It explained why Lisa was such emotional basket case. Who wouldn't be after picking at an emotional scar like she had?

"You have to stay away from her." Watching as she gracefully exited the table, Leonard watched as she schooled her features back into cold indifference. "Lisa?"

"Fine." Lips pinched into a thin line, her hands barely trembling, Lisa flipped her hair over her shoulder. "But if anything happens to her, I will make your life hell." About to turn around, a cruel smile spread over her painted lips. "And Lenny? Between you and me, I know you've been carrying her picture around in your pocket since that night. So, don't you ever lecture me, or judge me because I have emotions." With her final words, she headed toward the door, leaving Leonard simmering in a pool of uncertainty.

It wasn't until his fifth drink – well perhaps his sixth or seventh – was delivered, that Leonard finally gave into the inevitable. It didn't mean he took the loss of his internal struggle gracefully or didn't believe he was right on the subject. Several creative and loathsome comments filtered through his mind on his overall pathetic weakness, and astounding girl-like behavior.

It wasn't like him, getting all emotional . . .

Crap, this didn't mean Lisa was right.

With a dry chuckle and a shake of his head, he pulled the damned picture out of his pocket, and placed it face down on the table in front of him and glared at it with irritation. The stupid thing had been burning a hole in his pocket for over a week, and within that time he'd only looked at it three times.

The first time was when he'd lifted it off his old man, and the impact of seeing Tegan's face, and the two of them together, had – if he was going to be honest, which he tried hard never to be – slightly put him off his game. Knowing that piece of filth had been in possession of it had almost turned out very badly. Instead, he'd quickly clamped down on his unwanted - and absolutely pointless – emotions and pressed on, jumping through the hoops until the bomb had been removed from Lisa's head. When he had the all clear, knowing his baby sister was going to be fine, his darling father's number had been up.

The second time, was when he pulled it out for Lisa to see. That time he'd been marginally more prepared for the emotional ass kicking – just not the fallout of Lisa's recent life crisis - with the added fuel of a walk down memory lane. Coincidence had never been, nor would ever be his friend. It seemed fate was mocking him, setting him up before spewing vomit all over his life. He should've anticipated, should've known Lisa wasn't prepared. But he'd been weak, and felt compelled to show and tell, which now seemed quiet girly.

Eff him.

And the third time? Well it seemed the third time was in the here and now, at the local waterhole of Saints and Sinners, surrounded by day drunks who were hiding away from their lives. Typically, he occasionally dropped by for their tenders and fries, with a mediocre gin and tonic on the side. It didn't escape his notice as he stared down at white backside of the phot paper, contemplating whether to turn it over - or simply tear the damned thing in a few hundred pieces - he was hiding too.

But unlike the other losers . . .

No, there was no need to lie, not to himself. Lisa had been right. Him playing it all calm and cool, showing no signs of being affected by the recent events, had all been just an act. An extremely orchestrated and delivered act.

Either Lisa knew him better than he thought, or he was slipping. Neither made him feel fantastic, or like the badass the rest of the underworld thought he was.

The first time he'd met Tegan Eloise Wentworth, his instincts demanded that he turn his ass right around, cause all she was going to be was a big ole bag of trouble. The kind of trouble that would give him blinding headaches, due to excess drinking, but also the kind which would throw his comfortable existence out of whack. It had been a foreboding feeling, one that tickled at the back of his skull, and made his gut tell him to leave her at the nuthouse.

But he'd forged on - like the devoted older brother he was – while silently telling himself he was only bringing Tegan along because of Lisa's Chernobyl sized tantrum she had been throwing in the van parked at the back exit. He'd be a big fat liar if he were to say that the petite blonde shared the same name with the wealthiest family in Central City hadn't been an added perk. Plus, the slight possibility of tainting Lisa's new little friend had made him a little giddy.

Now, years later he wondered who tainted who?

When he'd gotten to the room, he'd been mostly irritated by how his perfectly executed plan had been blown to smithereens. They'd been mere seconds from getting off the hospital grounds, with Mick behind the wheel, him in the passenger seat, and Lisa – well she should've been singing his praises. Gushing over what a great older brother he was. Instead she was kicking at the back door, swearing she was going to unman him if Mick didn't turn the van around so they could go back for her gal pal.

So, excuse the hell out of him for being a little . . . abrasive when he'd reached Tegan's room.

" _Rise and shine, you little blonde pain in my ass, it's time to bust out of this joint." Leaning over the younger woman's bed, Leonard lips stretched into a sinister smirk when the girl's eyes shot open. With a startled yelp, she quickly spun away from him and just as quickly got caught up in her sheets as she struggled to flee her bed. All she accomplished was falling into an ungraceful heap on the ground, making him feel slightly vindicated over Lisa's blatant annihilation of his carefully crafted plans._

 _It didn't take her long to untangle herself from the institutional sheets, and when she stood up in in a storm of blonde curls and outrage, he couldn't keep the smug smirk from tugging at his lips._

" _Get out, or I swear I'll scream my head off." Where he could see the conviction of her words written all over her face, he could almost smell her fear oozing from her pours on the other side of the bed._

 _She was exactly what he'd expected to find in a pampered little rich girl. Golden blonde curls, large green cat shaped eyes with a pert little nose he would've bet was bought and paid for by Mommy and Daddy. She had all the earmarks of a Country Club princess, but he knew his sister, and there was no way in hell Lisa would befriend a brainless little twit from Windsor Heights, not unless she possessed several redeeming qualities. If in a day or so he didn't see these qualities for himself, he was cutting the little princess free._

" _What are you . . ." Snapping her mouth shut, she studied him silently through narrowed eyes, while she made sure he stayed on his other side of the bed. He actually found it endearing how she assumed a twin sized bed would keep him safely away from her as she took in his appearance. It took only a tick of a second before understanding began to flicker across her face, and her fear evaporated into an expression of mistrust. "You're Lisa's older brother, Leonard."_

" _Not the hardest conclusion to come to, but I'll give you points for not, "screaming" your head off." Seeing how she wasn't moving, and any moment someone was going to realize Lisa was not tucked snuggly in her bed - or the strange van parked outback - he needed to get them out of there fast. "Now be a good little girl and get your stuff, we have under a minute to blow this joint."_

 _His words did nothing to entice her into complying. Still not moving, she eyed the closed door before shifting her attention back to him. "Why?"_

" _Fifty-five seconds."_

" _I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why." Crossing her arms over her chest, she almost seemed confident, but her eyes skipping to the door gave her away._

 _He was going to tell her that he didn't give two fucks if she went or stayed, but at the last second her eyes narrowed in challenge. He hated to lose, and something told him if he turned around and left her there, he would've lost some sort of a battle of the wills. "Fifty seconds, and you're coming if I have to drag you out of here myself."_

" _My parents won't pay you a dime in ransom." Though her tone was bland, he could see she was testing him, expecting him to ditch her, but he also heard the truth in her words._

 _It was good to know, and a better thing he hadn't been banking on a huge payout. "Forty-seven."_

" _Will you stop that?"_

 _Keeping his face blank, he fought the urge to snicker at her obvious frustration. "Yes, if you'd just start packing, forty-five."_

" _I don't want to put Lisa in danger." Seeing she wasn't going to move anytime soon, and remembering Lisa's vow, he moved the five feet to her closet and was pleased to find a duffle bag on the top shelf. Making himself busy by shoving the clothing hanging there into the bag, he made his way to where she was blocking the dresser._

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Here's the thing." Seeing she wasn't moving from her spot anytime soon, he let out a sigh before nudging her to the right. "We have an extremely small window of opportunity here, and if I don't drag your scrawny little butt back to where my darling sister is not so patiently waiting I will never hear the end of it." Opening the first drawer, he couldn't help but smirk. "Very nice."_

 _Fishing out a pair of black lace panties he let out a snort of laughter when her surprisingly fast reflexes had them out of his grasp and shoving them back where they came from. "Tell Lisa she's a gem, but I can't go."_

 _Frowning, Leonard was torn between wanting to salute her a swift goodbye, and wanting to force her to shut up and get her butt in gear, he took a quick glance at his watch and reopened the drawer. "I don't get it, is it the finger painting or the all you can eat Jell-O that makes you want to stay?"_

" _None of the above." She snapped as he finished with the last two drawers. "You don't get it."_

" _No, I don't." Slinging the bag over his shoulder. "Mostly cause I don't care." With that he bent down quickly and had her over his shoulder before she had the common sense to fight back. "Now if you care about Lisa and don't want her getting in any trouble, I suggest you keep that big mouth of yours shut."_

" _Put me down." Feeling her brace her hands on his lower back, he predicted her move of trying to push herself out of his grasp and countered it by clamping down on her legs._

" _Stop moving." Adjusting her more securely, he moved to the door. "I suggest shutting up now, or I could gag you, which doesn't sound like that bad of an idea."_

" _To do that you'd have to put me down." Her smug response came from behind him, and her logic nearly made him miss a step. "On second thought, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Let's do that."_

" _Why can't you be a good little rich girl? Simper a little, beg for your life? You do realize most people find me scary?" Opening the door, he scanned the hallway, before exiting her room._

" _I'm sure they do, but between you and me, you're liberating me from the crazy house? My decision-making skills aren't really all that sound. There's also a slight question of my sanity, so there's that to consider as well." At least she'd stopped fidgeting on his shoulder, and he could pay attention to his surroundings._

" _Tell me, does your little mental condition keep you from shutting up?"_

" _Sometimes." She replied quickly. "Other times I have these fits of uncontrollable yelling."_

" _Interesting." Hearing her threat in her words, Leonard clenched his jaw. If she was anything like Lisa she wouldn't hesitate to scream her head off just to spite him. "I have control issues as well. Mine are a little more hands on, and sometimes painful."_

" _Perhaps I get off on that kind of thing." This time his feet paused on their own, a smile genuine smile on his lips. "I can walk you know."_

 _Right, probably in the opposite direction. "Where I am impressed, walking is such an amazing talent, I think this is preferable."_

" _Seriously, this is only going to end badly." Feeling her tiny hands grip onto his jacket, he waited for her to try and escape him again. "My parents might not pay to get me back, but they hate having their things taken."_

" _Good to know."_

" _They won't give you money to get me back, but they'd absolutely pay a few crooked cops and other less desirables to come and get me."_

" _I'm getting you out of here and all you can do is insult me? For the record, I'm the less desirable one, they're just lackeys." His words effectively shut her up, though he was pretty sure he heard her mutter something about him being the most aggravating and stubborn jerk._

 _Hurrying down the dimly lit hallway, he slowed his pace when voices from a nearby room reached his ears. The bundle on his shoulder seemed to hear them too, and miracle of all miracles she suddenly went silent. Deciding to move on, he rushed past the room and to the staircase at the back of the floor._

 _His feet flew down the steps and he barely considered the jarring impact on the girl's stomach. With another glance at his watch, his pace never slowing, his teeth ground together in aggravation. He shouldn't still be in this damned hospital, he should be sitting down at the nearest pancake house, celebrating Lisa's newly acquired freedom. But instead of patting himself on the back, he was carrying what he was starting to feel was a very bad decision back to the van._

" _Put me down." Tegan's breathless words were just above a whisper, but he'd been so engulfed in calculating their chances of getting out, her voice was more like a gunshot._

" _Sure thing Princess." With a mocking smack across her bottom, his mood lifted significantly at her squeaked outrage. "As soon as we're at the van."_

 _The rest of the escape went with relative ease, his bundle seemed to be fuming, which gave him the silence he needed as he slipped though the shadows of the hallway leading to the laundry room, where he earlier had taped over the latch to keep it from locking. From there he moved to the service door and was relieved to see the back doors of the van already open and waiting._

" _Your chariot awaits." Dumping her unceremoniously onto the floor of the van, he was totally caught off guard when the heel of her foot connected with nose. "What the . . . !?"_

 _All at once he could hear Lisa's voice, Mick's bark of laughter, and the sound of the smaller girl's body struggling to her knees and quickly put as much space between them. Through tear filled eyes, his hand snaked out and latched onto her ankle, yanking her harshly back. Before she could kick him again, he threw his body on top of hers, using his much longer and thicker frame to keep her in place._

" _Okay, I'm done playing nice." Wrapping his fingers around her delicate wrists, Leonard placed his mouth next to her ear. "This is how its gonna work. You're coming with us because Lisa seems to have made you her very first friend and wouldn't stop kicking dents into my getaway vehicle. But when I get tired of you, which is getting dangerously close, I'm in charge. What I say goes."_

" _And if I refuse?" Tegan grunted into the metal._

" _Then I will need to teach you how to listen. Not so much fun for you, tremendous amount of fun for me."_

" _Lenny." Lisa snapped, from nearby, and he could feel the betrayal radiating off her._

" _Unlike our patriarch, there are ways to instill good behavior without using fists." Giving Lisa a look that indicated how much he didn't appreciate her interruption, or misunderstanding, he looked back down waiting to hear something that sounded like they had an understanding._

" _So here's the deal. If you stay out of my hair, and be a good little girl, everything will be peachy. You'll be fed, you'll have clothes and I will make sure you're safe. In exchange, you'll need to pull your weight, nothing too strenuous of course. On the off chance, you decide not to stay out of my hair, and be a good little girl, everything won't be so peachy, and you'll find I can be a very resourceful guy when it comes to being defied."_

" _Please Tegan." Lisa begged. "I swear we'll keep you safe."_

 _The second her body relaxed, her fight had deflated, meaning he'd won that round. "Good girl."_

She'd been an absolute pain in his ass, but not always the unwanted pain he predicted. He'd been convinced she'd be crying by the end of the week, begging to go home. Proving to Lisa once and for all, that her new pal didn't fit into their world. Instead, Tegan proved him wrong, probably out of spite, and had done pretty much what he'd asked. She'd stayed out of his hair, and was generally a good little girl, and pulled her weight, typically without complaint.

Letting out a long exhale through his nose, Leonard tapped his finger on the back of the picture before looking around for a wandering waitress. Typical, not one in sight when he wanted mediocre service. Picking up the photograph he scooted out of the booth and strode slowly to the bar. Slipping onto one of the bar stools, he nodded at the bar tender and waited for a refill.

Silently he told himself it was time to man up and stop evading the inevitable. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could cleanse himself of his emotional baggage – hopefully for good this time. With a huff at his own stupidity, he turned the image over and allowed himself a moment to just feel. It'd been years since he'd permitted himself to reflect on anything related to _that_ time of his life.

Well perhaps not the first-time Tegan had been with them, that time had been extremely short lived and filled with the tension of allowing a stranger to infiltrate his controlled existence. It had been the second, longer stay that had screwed with his center and had him behaving uncharacteristically. Or perhaps, predictably.

"Why hello sugar," The words were purred into his left ear, the Southern drawl more drawn out than it had to be, had Leonard swearing under his breath. It would appear his little soul quest was being derailed. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

With a dark scowl, he reached for his fresh drink and slammed it back, before schooling his expression into complete blandness. "I really don't need your special kind of crazy right now Dixie."

"Come on now, is that any way to greet your lover?" The expression of hurt painted her face, not fulling him for one second.

"Please." Twisting enough in his seat to glare over at the tall red head next to him, Leonard swallowed down a sarcastic comment over her head to toe black leather get up. Sure, it was one thing to look one's best while knocking over an art gallery, or uppity jewelry boutique. But leather, in the middle of August? It was a horrible fashion statement. "One time in the sack doesn't make us anything more than passing strangers scratching an itch. An itch I doubt I'll ever have again due to some advanced medication."

"Stop." Batting her eyes, she leaned forward as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "You might actually hurt my feelings." Looking over to where the bartender stood waiting for her order she smiled at him coyly. "Bourbon on the rocks handsome."

When he felt the man's attention turn to him, Leonard didn't spare him a glance. "I suddenly no longer feel like drinking."

Dixie's smile dampened slightly but pressed on undeterred. "I'm not gonna let your sourpuss mood spoil our little reunion."

"Dixie, I'm a little low on patience today." Tilting his head to the right, a false smile snaked across his face. "Well – in your case, any day."

"And here I came baring a very profitable business arrangement." Her eyes traveled down his body, making him feel oddly dirty and slightly used with just a look. She was a walking porn cliché and sitting next to her made him feel like taking a shower.

It'd been nearly a year since her last visit to Central City, and he wouldn't have cried had she stayed away for eternity. A guy makes one bad decision and earns himself a stalker for life. He hadn't been exaggerating, it'd been a one-time stand, at a very low time in his life, with a little help from a cheap bottle of tequila.

"At the moment, my portfolio is just dandy." Throwing a couple of bills onto the countertop, he went to slip Tegan's picture back in his jacket when Dixie's claw like fingernails plucked it from his grasp. Controlling the urge to inflict serious damage, he balled his hand into a fist at his side and forced himself to stay unaffected.

"Who's the tart?" Unaware how close she was from having him break his stupid promise to Barry-I'm-a-buzz-kill-Flash, Leonard snatched back the photograph and tucked it away.

"As fun as these creepy little run-ins are with you, I've got things to do, people to terrorize." Watching in sick fascination as anger twisted Dixie's face very unbecomingly, leaving her complexion slightly blotched, he knew from experience he'd pushed the crazy button too hard, and likely would have to deal with some twisted kind of retaliation.

Giving her one last scowl, not liking the calculating gleam in her eye, Leonard turned on his heel, cursing his bad luck.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** As promised a brand new chapter.

* * *

There were people in the world who loved their jobs, liked the people they worked with, and thrived on a job well done. Tegan Wentworth was not one of those people. A night owl by nature, early morning meetings and court dates violated her god given right of sleeping in. Her coworkers were a mixed collection of idiots and A-holes. And anyone who was stupid enough to be proud of a job well done when it came to the Department of Human Services, deserved to be slapped upside the head, hard.

To her, a job well done meant there was an injured child involved. Too many times she watched as children were taken from abusive situations, only to be placed back with the parents after the dirt bags jumped through a few hoops. Sob stories of their own abuse, or impossible situations put them on the path in the first place meant jack to her. The damage was done, the child would always be scarred, and as far as Tegan was concerned no parent deserved a second chance after that.

Which was why she was going to do everything within her power to ensure when she got the Day kids out of the nightmare they were living, Gavin Day would never set eyes on them again.

"Trent, Claire, I'm Tegan Wentworth." Taking in the children's dirty faces and downcast eyes, Tegan's heart lurched painfully inside her chest. Her parents may have been soul sucking demons with an evil back hand, but at least they hadn't used her to move illegal products and cared about basic things like food and bathing.

Both children fidgeted on the loveseat across the room, occasionally casting a glance toward the kitchen when Gavin Day was eavesdropping. It had taken her a week to get the green light for her first home visit to the Day household, and during that time she'd prepared herself for minimal results. She'd done her homework and knew the only way to save the two waifs in front of her was to take Gavin out of the game.

She wasn't a killer, which in this case was too bad. It would've been the quickest, most convenient way to neutralize her problem. But she wasn't above playing dirty to get that masochist locked up for a very long time. Which meant she was going to have to be smart, and patient. The smart part she could handle, she had been taught by the best. It was the patient part that may give her some trouble.

Turning her full attention to the children in front of her, Tegan tried to school her expression into what she hoped would be seen as someone the Day kids could eventually trust. "I'm going to be stopping by once a week, just to see how the two are doing. Sometimes we can play games or talk, pretty much whatever you want."

A loud crash came from the kitchen, resulted in the two children nearly jumping out of their skin. Reaching over to take his sister's hand into his, Trent sent a nervous glance toward the kitchen before licking at his dry, chapped lips and turning hate filled eyes in her direction. "My Dad says you're a nosey, good for nothing bitch."

"How charming." Tegan muttered under her breath, casting her own dark glance toward the kitchen. Patience, she needed oodles and oodles of patience. Taking a deep breath, she forced a grin on her face. "What do _you_ think?"

Scowling, the boy studied her like she was some kind of bug under a microscope. "I think you're like the rest."

"The rest?" Raising a brow, Tegan made a mental note to look into past interactions her agency had with the Day family. From what she knew, she'd been the first.

"People show up, and then after awhile they don't." The young boy's anger evaporated slightly when the sound of scraping chair legs on linoleum pierced the air. "You should just leave."

She could hear the warning the boy was throwing her way. "Maybe, but I think I'll hang out just a bit."

Deciding to let the little booger stew on that for a bit, Tegan turned her attention to the little girl, who had barely twitched a muscle in the last few minutes. It was a little creepy, the way her light blue eyes stared blankly forward. "Claire, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"She doesn't talk." Trent grunted, rolling his eyes at her apparent stupidity.

"Doesn't?" Something else she would need to look into. "Because she can't, or because she doesn't want to?"

"Does it matter?" Leaning forward on the couch, giving her what had to be his most enraged growl, Tegan felt her heart stutter as a vision flashed before her eyes. The defiant angry scowl, overly protective of his sister, only made her think this was what Leonard and Lisa must have been like as children. Living in hellish conditions, with a madman for a father. It made her blood boil.

Even though the similarities nearly broke her heart, she knew she was going to have to play this game just a tad bit different. Letting her smile slide into a knowing smirk, she let her eyes harden just a smidgeon. "I don't know, does it? It's probably real quiet around here without your little sister yapping all the time."

Blinking, Trent's expression mutated from stunned, to suspicious back to stunned again. "You can't' . . . Don't talk about her like that."

"Why?" The anger eating at the boy who was barely ten was intense, and a small voice inside her head told her she was being downright cruel. But an empty smile and empty words weren't going to help these kids. "Its not like you can help her."

"You can't help her, no one can." The boy seethed, spit flying from his lips.

"Not when you run off anyone who wants to." Tegan felt for the kid. He had a long road ahead of him, they both did. "I get it, you got dealt a crap hand. But be smart, take help where you can get it."

Her words only added fuel to his volatile emotions, and that was fine. "We don't need your pity."

"Trent, you're ten. It doesn't matter if you want my pity, you've got it either way. Now you can either be stupid and keep pushing me away, or be smart, and use me to help you and your sister." She may not be able to give these kids rainbows and puppies, or to promise this world wouldn't be down-right cruel. But when she did finally succeed in getting their douchebag father locked up, they were going to need all the tools at their disposal to get through life.

"So, when I come back next week, how about a board game?" Pretending not to see the mutinous expression on Trent's face, Tegan decided to call this meeting to a close. She still had another forty-five minutes, but in the small amount of time she'd been there she'd planted enough seeds of doubt into the boy's head. Let him stew on it for the week.

"Board games are for pussies." Finally finding his voice, Trent tried hard to sound much older than he was.

Letting his words flow off her, Tegan grabbed her bag off the floor. "Perhaps poker then? Seven-card stud, Texas hold 'em, maybe a little five card draw."

Deciding his speechlessness was a sign for her to leave, Tegan weaved through the garbage on the floor to the front door. She'd learned a lot that day. First, she needed to get her hands on Claire's medical files, any child living in hellish conditions needed to have a voice. Second, she needed to find a way to up her plans to get Gavin out of his kid's lives. She knew the having patience was going to be an issue.

"Hey, you!" Almost to her car, Tegan sighed and turned around as Gavin Day made his way down his front steps. His beefy face had beads of sweat dripping down his cheeks, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

Using her best grown up tone she could muster, Tegan started to speak. "Mr. Day, you know the courts gave me – " her words were abruptly cut off when his left hand deftly backhanded her across the face. Pain exploded, quickly replaced by a hot stinging ache. She'd forgotten just how bad that hurt.

"I don't give a shit what the courts gave you." Day growled and took another step forward. "A little bird told me you've been sticking your nose into places it don't belong."

Having already taken her by surprise, Tegan swallowed down the balloon of panic rising in her chest. Her hand moved on its own accord and before she knew it, her hand was gripping her Glock 26 and had it pointed at Gavin's Day face. "Please give me a reason."

A rough laugh of rancid breath hit her, as Gavin smirked. "You won't shoot."

"You're as stupid as you look." Shaking her head, Tegan deftly released the safety. "I was taught by the best."

"Right, little tough princess.'

"Strange, that's what Leonard Snart used to call me." Her eyes shooting daggers at him, her lip throbbing in pain, Tegan didn't feel any better when Gavin Day paused.

"Snart?"

"Yeah, Snart." She didn't typically play the Snart card, and really was a tad bit shocked the scumbag wasn't aware of her past connection to the siblings. But she was dealing with an unhinged – two-bit - criminal, and threats was the only language he understood. "He taught me a lot of things. Unless you want to find out if I have the guts to pull this trigger, I suggest you go back to your piece of shit house, keep your hands off your kids and be a better host when I come back next week."

"Listen bitch, you aint coming back next week."

"Are you sure about that." With her free hand, she reached for the handle of her car, relieved she didn't have to fumble, because if she was forced to be honest, her bravery was about drained. Lisa had once told her it was the stupid, loud, and violent small-time thugs and criminals she needed to be extra weary of. Like most of the mass that made up Central City's underbelly, these individuals were trying to make a name for themselves, but they weren't smart enough to do it without brute force.

"But next week I won't be as trusting." With her car door open enough to slip in she had her key in the ignition in record time and was peeling away from the curb. The side of her face was throbbing, and with a humorless grunt, she was reminded it'd been nearly over six years since the last time anyone dared raise a hand to her. She'd been stupid, letting her guard down like that, giving that piece of filth the upper hand- literally.

It was only through sheer willpower she hadn't come completely undone. She liked to play the part of the sassy little badass with a tough outer shell, and most days did a pretty impressive job of it. But she was only human. She had emotions. And right now, the adrenaline that kept her from falling apart after being struck, had evaporated into smoke. Leaving her raw and vulnerable.

Pulling her car into the first empty lot she could find, Tegan cut the engine and let out a shaky breath. Squeezing her eyes shut, letting the back of her head fall again the headrest, she tried to ignore the dark taunting voice inside her, mocking her for not taking the shot. That her little act of bravado had put the Day kids in even more danger than they had been before. She'd left them vulnerable targets to Gavin Day's residual anger.

Snorting, Tegan shook his head. Who was she kidding? Past experience proved she wasn't an outright killer. If it came to protection of herself or the ones she cared about, then yes, she'd pull that trigger without thinking twice.

She'd done the right thing. Gavin Day proved that not only was he dangerous, but stupid too. He was a bully, probably always had been, with aspirations of being something more. But he didn't have the charisma, the ability to think strategically, or the power to achieve results without brute force. The fact he had the cajones to hit an agent from the state on a court approved visitation, only proved this.

Eyeing the gun, she'd halfway concealed back into her handbag, a memory from another lifetime tickling the back of her brain.

" _How do you do it?"_

" _Scram kid." Picking up a wrench, Leonard shot her a dark look before turning his attention back to the van he'd been working on. "I'm busy."_

 _She'd been bored. Lisa was out to scouting locations for the next job, Mick was being extra creepy that day - which never ended well - leaving her to entertain herself. It'd been a few months, and though there had been a few bumps in the road, things with the Snart's had been surprisingly smooth. It didn't mean Leonard was all warm and fuzzy either. Or that he trusted her to do anything more than sit in the backseat on their last heist. (Which Lisa had seemed pretty impressed he'd let her come at all.) But she hadn't broken his nose since that first night, and he hadn't hog tied her like he'd threatened either._

" _I'm being serious, how do you do it?" Leaning against the front fender, looking down where Leonard was working, she admired the visual._

 _With a grunt, and a dark mutter, Leonard paused and gave her that look, the one that told her she was treading on thin ice. "Do what?"_

" _Always appear calm and so sure of yourself." She'd been watching him, mostly from afar because he still made her nervous, but found herself impressed with his controlled presence. The rest of them, well they all had their moments, where their emotions would get the best of them._

 _When Mick snapped, he reached a new level of cray cray. The last time he took a little walk on the dark side they had bene forced to find a new place to crash, due to all the police officers and firemen who'd been called to put out the inferno that had been their current residence._

 _Lisa was a little subtler, but her outbursts were emotionally based, and left her once or twice dangerously close to getting caught._

 _As for herself? Well she was ready to implode. If she'd been back home, she would've broken into the liquor cabinet, stolen her Stepmom's car, and made some horrible decisions the shrinks back at the nuthouse would claim were due to her 'Daddy' issues._

 _But Leonard, he never lost control–except when he'd pinned her to the floor of the van after she'd kicked him in the face with the heel of her foot – and always seemed to be at peace with who he was. No, he wasn't Mr. Miyagi, teaching about personal balance and nature crap, he was a lot darker than that. Instead, he seemed to have found a way to keep himself from throwing senseless tantrums the rest of them fell victims to._

" _Sure of myself?" He repeated with that purr of his, while giving her an untrusting gaze._

" _Don't make me feel any stupider than I already do by forcing me to repeat myself." Not able to look him in the eye and form grammatically correct sentences at the same time, she shoved away from the vehicle. "How do you stay in control?"_

 _Lounged on the floor, the wrench forgotten, Leonard pinched his lips together before answering. "I have hobbies." Not sure if he was mocking her, which seemed to be a favorite past time of his, Tegan rolled her eyes and turned to leave before she did something impulsive. Like kick him in the face, again. "Let me guess. Your skin feels tight, every single cell is shrinking, like It's trying to suffocate you. Worse, every single noise sounds like a loud crash, making you want to lash out. You're jumpy, and grouchy and there's an itch deep down inside of you that really needs to be scratched."_

" _Maybe." Feeling awkwardly vulnerable, Tegan kept her back to him, refusing to take the chance to see if by some small miracle he wasn't making fun of her._

" _Meet me by the bike in ten minutes." Opening her mouth to inquire why, she quickly snapped it shut when he repeated. "Ten minutes Tegan."_

 _She's wasted six minutes telling herself he was probably going to desert her in the middle of nowhere just for bugging him. But her curiosity won out, and with a huff of frustration she hurried to where she and Lisa were bunking to change into a pair of black jeans and grab a jacket. Throwing her hair up in a messy bun, she ran back to the garage, knowing Leonard was probably counting down the seconds._

 _She hadn't been wrong, standing near his back, two helmets in each hand, he shook his head as she hurried over. "Remind me to get you a watch."_

 _Tossing the extra helmet her way, he easily swung a leg over the seat and brought the bike to life. Sexy confidence practically oozed from his form, and Tegan couldn't help but take a moment to admire the image before her. At least until tilted his head impatiently at her, forcing her feet forward. Not entirely sure how to proceed, she fidgeted slightly before pulling the helmet over her head. Placing a steadying hand on his shoulder, she used him for balance as she situated herself behind him._

 _Before her hands were barely at his waist, they were flying in the wind. The world started to bleed around them, and an exhilarated yelp flew from her mouth as Leonard took a corner dangerously sharp. If she'd known how damn free she'd feel on the back of Leonard's bike, she would've bugged him weeks ago to give her a ride. Another corner had her tightening her hold, pressing herself up against his back as her thighs squeezed his._

 _All too soon the ride came to an end, as Leonard pulled up to a dilapidated building on the outskirts of town. Pulling her helmet off, Tegan took a quick look around the run-down strip mall before returning her gaze back to the only legible sign. "We're bowling?"_

 _With a huff, Leonard waited until she was off the bike, before doing the same. "Not exactly."_

 _Grabbing a leather satchel from back of the bike, he nodded to the building to the left of the "Lucky Strike!" bowling alley. Not waiting to see if she'd follow, he made his way to the rusted metal door. With the practiced ease only a skilled thief had, he made quick work of the lock and had the door open wide._

" _Lady's first."_

 _Stepping cautiously into the murky dark interior, she jolted when the door slammed shut behind her. "Leonard Snart, I swear if you just locked me in this building by myself I will make you pay."_

" _Relax Wentworth." His husky voice filled the dark gloom. "If I was going to get rid of you, I'd be a tad bit more creative."_

 _With that, and a click of a flashflight, Leonard slinked past. Not wanting to be left in the dark, and knowing he wouldn't think twice about doing it, Tegan hurried to catch up. "Are you going to tell me where we're at?"_

" _Patience Thumbelina." Leonard drawled, as he led them down a set of stairs._

" _Stop calling me that." Missing the top step, she'd nearly taken them both out if it hadn't been for his quick reflexes. With his arm around her waist, his back pressed against her, Leonard took forever before letting is body relax._

" _They're stairs Wentworth, think you can manage?"_

" _Yeah." Feeling stupid, she didn't waist a second once he let his hold on her go. Once she was on flat ground again, she inched her way forward until the lights sprang to life around her._

" _Oh my." It was an underground firing range, just like the ones on T.V._

" _This – used to be a local hangout for Central City's finest when my "loving" ole man was on the force." Dropping his bag on a nearby table, he took a look around. "It shut down nearly a decade ago. This is one of the places I go when I feel my control slipping."_

 _Pulling a gun from the bag, he held it up for her to see. "What is this."_

" _A gun."_

" _No." He purred. "This is a Glock 19. With the right magazine, it can hold up to 33 rounds." Pulling out another, he placed it on the table next to the bag. "This one is a Glock 26, also known as the "Baby Glock", and it holds up to ten rounds. It's now yours." Nudging it in her direction, he tilted his head for her to pick it up._

" _I've never shot a gun before."_

" _And I'm not surprised in the very least." He smirked._

" _What if I shoot myself, or you?" Biting down on her lip, she eyed the gun with trepidation. It didn't matter that Leonard called it a baby gun, glock, whatever. A gun was a gun._

" _I'd prefer you didn't." He replied dryly. "That's why we're here. You need a hobby, and if you're determined to hang around, you'll need to learn how to defend yourself."_

" _And shoot people." A cold sweat washed over her, as the reality of the situation dawned on her._

" _You?" Running his tongue over his teeth, Leonard sighed. "You're not a killer. And even though we do some really bad things, murder is messy, and something we avoid at all cost. No, I would never ask that of you. But what I am asking you to do, is learn how to defend yourself, and the rest of us. Plus, I think this will give you the – release – you're looking for."_

 _Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, a rare occurrence when it came to Leonard Snart, she picked up the cold object. "So where do we start?"_

 _Pulling out a large roll of paper, he pulled a sheet off and walked down one of the ranges. Hanging up the target and sauntered back. Motioning her come stand beside him, he waited patiently. Her feet felt like lead, and she'd almost changed her mind a few hundred times during her five-foot hike._

" _Do I just point and shoot?"_

" _Give it a try." The corners of his mouth twitched, as he slipped a pair of earmuffs over her ears._

 _Pointing the gun at the target, her heart beating painfully inside her chest, she let out a breath and pressed on the trigger. When nothing happened, she shifted her eyes to where he was smirking._

" _Safety." Reaching over he flipped a switch on the side of the gun. Moving behind her, he nudged her left leg forward, as his hands wrapped around her slender waist and twisting just the slightest. "Again."_

 _Pulling on the trigger, she actually yelped at the loud explosion seeped through the earmuffs and recoil vibrated through her bones. If it hadn't been for Leonard behind her, she may have jerked back from sheer shock. "That was – "_

" _Pathetic." Leonard muttered._

" _Awesome." Tegan felt her grin spread over her face._

" _You totally missed the target." His tone teased, and had she been able to see his expression, would've seen a rare grin twitching on his lips._

" _I don't care." Raising the gun, she felt his hands again on her waist, moving her to position her body. His leg this time nudge a little behind her right leg. When he was done, she focused on the target and squeezed one more time._

She hadn't hit that stupid target once. But after emptying several magazines, she felt better, more in control. "Scratched that itch", as Leonard put it. That afternoon had started a new routine for them. Slipping off whenever they could. Most of the time they returned to that abandoned gun range, other times he'd set up challenging courses in abandoned warehouses on the waterfront. By the time she'd been forced to leave that first time, she had a little better control of her impulses.

Pushing the gun further into her bag, she blew out a cleansing breath.

She'd faced worse things in her life than Gavin Day. And she swore he was going to pay.

* * *

FYI - Glocks don't actually have safeties.


End file.
